To ask if anyone else's job is poorly defined

[DynamoKev]

I am trying to stay organised and on top of things, but I keep getting assigned random unexpected tasks which directly conflict with the other stuff I am supposed to be planning and doing.

It just occurred to me that my last few jobs have been like this - so is this how work now is? Presumably due to continual cost-cutting so there are never enough people?

Yep. Since I got back from furlough my job has been shit. Just lots of random jobs and no real definition. My boss even admitted to me that he's holding on to more work for himself because it makes him look better WTF.

Isn’t that just a job. Responding and reprioritising when new things come in

That’s the nature of my job - no two days are the same and what is a priority one day is shunted down the list the next day as something more pressing comes up.

It's how employers get away with it these days. It's become standard unfortunately.

@Dishwashersaurous

Isn’t that just a job. Responding and reprioritising when new things come in

I think this is true to an extent but then most jobs have a selection of activities or responsibilities which are your remit.

It's also difficult to plan a workload if the constantly happens with no time for the things that get put on the back burner. How long have you been in this job op? Do you see this happening to colleagues?

I must admit that though I dislike the "any other duties" line on my CV, it's success in delivery on work under "any other duties" that has defined my career.

I manage a team of five. All of them have the same bottom line role of customer support, and all of them have specialities for delivering other responsibilities. All of the specialities came from trying out different staff on "any other duties" tasks.

We're a small company without any big hierarchies. The sort of people who thrive with us are those who can collaborate with others to support projects at pinch points, and who can take a project of their own and nurture it.

Last week one line report had a bad week. I cleared her diary of non important objectives and deferred some of my work to do grunt work for her. This week she returned the favour. We'd have both gone through hell if we'd stuck to our job descriptions.

Yeah I like it though. I can make the job what I want. Not the same old crap day in day out.

Ha, you've just put your finger on why I feel so out of sorts and unsettled with work at the moment - I couldn't quite pin it down but I think you've nailed it!

Just when I think I know what my tasks are and my job boundaries are clear, some random crap comes my way that I have to drop everything for. And when I've done that, my boss will chase me for the thing I was doing to start with...

@HandyBendySandy

Ha, you've just put your finger on why I feel so out of sorts and unsettled with work at the moment - I couldn't quite pin it down but I think you've nailed it!

Just when I think I know what my tasks are and my job boundaries are clear, some random crap comes my way that I have to drop everything for. And when I've done that, my boss will chase me for the thing I was doing to start with...

This is pretty much my experience.